The Year Everything Changed
by walking-on-a-dream
Summary: "Miss me?" James said as he laughed. Still just as crazy, thought Lily. "Surprisingly not," she spat. James is back at Hogwarts after leaving for two years. Something is different though and Lily is determined to find out. L/J AUish
1. The Letter  Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Hogwarts or anything familiar, that's J.K. Rowling.

**Chapter one - Prologue**

Lily once again pulled out the now very creased, very worn, piece of paper and read over the few lines on it to make sure she wasn't missing something. She couldn't take it anymore. Running up the stairs she found the seventh year boys dorm. Taking a deep breath, Lily tried to prepare herself for what she might see when she opened the door. Placing her small hand on the door knob she pushed open the door. It squeaked but Lily wasn't worried about that, it wouldn't have mattered if she had run in screaming for there would be no one to hear it. Classes were on so there was no one to witness the perfect Lily Evans breaking down on the floor crying.

The seventh year Griffindor boys dorm was clean. The beds were made and it smelled faintly of air freshener. Lily couldn't take it anymore. Pulling herself off of the floor she ran. She ran past the messy dorms and the empty common room. She ran past the Fat Lady and Peeves. The front doors were open as if expecting her and Lily ran through those too. It wasn't until she reached the beech tree by the lake did she collapse next to it.

Pulling out the letter once more, she tried to figure out what he meant, what on earth he could have been thinking and came up, yet again, blank. Lily closed her eyes, falling onto the soft awaiting grass. She breathed in the clean air that blew through the trees. Nothing like the musky smell she had smelt only moments ago. He was gone. So were her friends. And all they left was a note. Not only was it a crappy note but it had only one paragraph. No explanation. No whereabouts. No feeling or anything. Lily felt so helpless. She hated herself for it too. She had gotten herself caught up in it all, again her better judgement and look where it landed her. In a heap next the the Black Lake.

This year had been so amazing. So eventful, so much better than the others. Until now. She had taken James's offer and trusted he knew what he was talking about, that in itself should have raised a flag in her head. Lily, trusting James Potter? Ridiculous. But that was the thing, that whole year had been ridiculous. As much as she hated to admit it, she had loved every minute of it. And that made her hate it more. Sighing, she started to drift off. Her breathing began to deepen and her hand that held the dreaded letter relaxed.

_Dear Lils,_

_I'm so sorry but this is the only way I think I can say this to you. I have to_

_leave, I have to go, Hogwarts isn't where I'm meant to be right now. I can't_

_take you with me, I hope you understand. Don't come looking for me. Don't_

_write to me. Burn this letter, try to forget me and run. Run as fast and as_

_far as you can. I'm so sorry for dragging you into this but I thought, well, I_

_didn't think and that's why this is happening. Maybe one day we'll meet again_

_but for now, I need to fight, I need to forget. _

James

Lily opened her eyes and she knew what she had to do. Grabbing her bag she ran up to her room, there were a few things she would need to collect first.

* * *

><p><em><span>September 1st - Seventh Year<span>_

"So when are you going to tell me how the mighty rule breaker, James Potter, became Head Boy?" Lily asked after all the prefects had left. A grin spread slowly across the boy's face as he leaned back into his seat as if about to begin a great tale.

"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me," was all James Potter let slip.

Lily quipped a eyebrow and leaned forward and whispered ever so softly,"Try me." James laughed and shook his head.

"Well, it began 6 years ago when a redheaded girl knocked me over when she practically bolted through the wall between platform nine and ten."

Lily laughed, "Liar, you did not convince Professor Dumbledore to give you the position to declare your unyielding love for me. You do that every other day already."

"Ah, yet, alas, she still does not return the feelings. I told him the whole story and he was so moved he put a rule breaker like me in as head boy just to give me a chance with you. You don't want to let Dumbledore regret his decision now, do you?" James knew it was risky but the grin gave himself away, he knew it was worth a try. Lily looked at him for a while before pushing his shoulder,

"Liar. You are the biggest, fattest, ugliest liar to ever walk the planet!"

"I am most definitely not ugly,"

"You wont deny the rest?"

No response from James.

"You're not going to tell me are you?" Lily resolved. She knew her strategy was pointless, the only way to get the boy in front of her to speak was to go out with him, and that was never going to happen no matter how desperate she was.

"My lips are sealed," James told her while pretending to lock his lips and throw away the key. One last try, thought Lily.

"And here I was thinking maybe we could be friends this year. Well there goes that idea." James's eyes widened and he leaned forward in his seat capturing her hands with his.

"What a brilliant idea! But I can't tell you, Dumbledore's orders." Lily look skeptical then huffed as she got up from the plush red couch. The heads compartment was richly adorned with furniture. The red couch was for the heads and the velvet single seats were meant for the prefects. All placed on deep purple carpet and lined with gold thread. It truly looked magnificent. Lily did not want to spend her year away from the heads towers if they were anything like the heads compartment and if putting up with James was the only option, she supposed she should take it.

"I would say I trust you, but I don't." At this, James's face fell. "But we can work on that as we become friends this year." Lily didn't think she had ever seen James that happy unless he had just completed a well thought out prank. As James jumped up and pulled her into a great big bear hug, she found herself closing her eyes and maybe, just maybe, enjoying it just a tad.

* * *

><p>Lily kicked open her trunk and began to pack everything in it. Halfway through she then realised she was a witch and pulled her wand out of its pocket on her arm and everything was packed. Shrinking the truck, she placed it carefully in her pocket. Looking around the room at the other four beds, messy and slept in, she found herself beginning to question her decision. No, she thought, this is what she had to do, this is what James would have done. Except, he ran away, leaving her, abandoning her in her time of need. Pushing the thoughts aside for another time, she tore her gaze from the room and began the walk to outside the castle.<p>

The memory of the train ride, still fresh in her mind, made her stop for a second. Was it real? Was any of it real? It was for her, no doubt about that, but what was going through James's head? She stomped her foot and ran a hand quickly through her hair, she never knew what was going through that stupid boy's mind. So full of thoughts, so full of rubbish, so full of every single detail about absolutely everything.

What an idiot he was. How she missed him. How could he do this to her? Lily took a deep breath and headed back to the front doors she had run through only moments ago, but this time, she wasn't going back in. This time was going to be her last. And for the first time in a very long time Lily dismissed the thought because right away, that wasn't important right now. Nothing was. But him.

**A/N **Beta'd by ScarlettSunshine, go check out her stories!


	2. Convincing? I think not

**A/N **Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter plot obviously.  
>Thanks to all those who Story Alerted and Favourited! A review would be nice too, just to know what you think. And thank you very much to my two reviewers :) Now it's a little confusing, I know, but the next chapter (and the many after) will clear things up a bit. The first part is in Lily's POV and the second in James's POV. And yes, I do realise I have jumped back to sixth year. I realised that we needed a little bit of a back story. So sixth year is included now. Please tell me of any grammar or spelling mistakes! I am known for them :P Anyway, Enjoy!<p>

**Chapter Two  
><strong>Convincing, I Think Not

_September 2nd, Sixth year_

Lily's head was on overdrive as she walked towards her impending doom. Her thoughts quickly went over all the bad things she had done so far that year. There weren't any but that couldn't have been because it was the second day and all. Her brain now went into last years troubles and Lily pulled a few things, well maybe more than a few, that may have made a trip to the headmaster's office well deserved. There was the time she and her friends charmed the desks in the potions classroom to chuck the books and parchment back at the students, then there was the time they charmed the Whomping Willow to hit every Slytherin that walked by. Lily was pretty sure she covered her tracks well. Not well enough, she thought as she reached the gargoyle.

"Sugar Quill," she spoke loudly trying to disguise the tremble in her voice.

Making her way up the stone steps, she lifted a hand to knock on the door but stopped herself just beforehand. Taking a deep breath, she proceeded thinking that it was fun being a witch for five years and whatever punishment she was given was probably deserved. Nodding to herself, accepting her punishment, she let her hand knock against the door.

"Come in," the deep voice, which was Professor Dumbledore's, said clearly. The first thing Lily noticed was not the spectacular room, but rather that there was a boy in one of the seats that she hadn't seen in two years. She stopped halfway to her seat in disbelief.

"James Potter?" This was the worse punishment anyone could have inflicted her. Looking up to the headmaster with wide eyes she demanded some answers. Well, maybe not demanded.

"Is this my punishment for the Whomping Willow incident?" Whoops, that wasn't meant to slip out. Dumbledore raised an eyebrow.

"Not exactly, but thank you for letting me know who was the mastermind behind that particular prank," Dumbledore said with a small smile. "You remember Mr. Potter, Miss Evans?" James grinned at her and Lily shot him a glare.

"Yes, I remember him," she huffed.

"I'm unforgettable Professor," James exclaimed with smirk. The headmaster pretended not to hear him but the pull at the side of his lips were a giveaway that he had in fact heard James Potter's comment.

"Well, he is joining us at Hogwarts for the remainder of the school years but fallen behind in a few subjects. I was wondering if you would be able to tutor him?" Lily opened her mouth to tell Dumbledore just how she felt and the injustice of it all when Dumbledore added "Unless we need to discuss what you thought I called you here for?" Lily's mouth dropped opened. The Headmaster was blackmailing her! That was not fair. Turning to glare at the snickering form of James Potter she sighed and nodded.

"Fine."

"Excellent! How does every Wednesday night sound?"

"Every Wednesday night, sir?" Lily had to confirm. That sounded like a lot of work. Too much work. Maybe taking punishment for her prank would be easier.

"I thought we'd see how that went and if you need to work more we can always change it. How does that sound Mr. Potter?"

"Oh that sounds fine Professor, I think that would be plenty of time," James said seriously. Lily just rolled her eyes; the boy hadn't changed a bit. Choosing to deal with him later, Lily let them discuss the rest of the arrangements as she concocted an arrangement of her own: How to get rid of one James Potter. In no time at all Lily was saying her goodbyes to the headmaster and was left alone with to walk back with James.

"Miss me?" he said then laughed. Still just as crazy, thought Lily.

"Surprisingly not," she spat. If it wasn't already obvious enough, Lily was going to make it clear that things could not go back to the way they were.

James laughed again.

"Seems you took up my place as head prankster when I left, care to tell me what exactly you were doing with the Whomping Willow?" Lily ignored him. He didn't deserve her attention.

"Don't be like that, Sweetheart. We have a long year ahead of us and it'd be a lot easier if you talked." Lily huffed in response. James laughed and went on chatting away as if they were the closest of friends which, of course, they were not.

The castle was empty. Tomorrow marked the first day of school and everyone was outside with friends, basking in the last day of freedom.

"Lucky bastards," Lily said under her breath. Instead she was here, inside, with the devils spawn.

"What was that?" he questioned curiously.

"None of your business that's what," she snapped. James smirked at her and kept walking forward with his hand running along the smooth stone walls. "What are you thinking about?" he was acting rather strange.

"Nothing. I just have a feeling this year is going to go rather well." Lily rolled her eyes. Couldn't have Dumbledore picked another weary soul to pick on? Someone else to have to endure this pain. Choosing to just ignore him and everything he said, Lily concentrated on the year ahead of her, there was going to be some major changes now with Potter back and every Wednesday night taken up. Running a hand through her red locks she pulled on the ends with annoyance. This wasn't going to work. A smirk still plastered on his face Lily couldn't help but wonder what brought him back.

There were rumors as to why he left, but she didn't believe any of them. They started at ridiculous, such as she had broken his heart and had fled and demanded to be home-schooled, and went to true possibilities, such as after the death of his father his mother demanded he come home and go to a more selective school closer to home. Although, while possible, Lily knew he was stronger than that.

Lily glanced at the boy in front of her, the brown hair was messy as ever and a lot longer, his body was toned, muscled and tan. Although it was his face that gave it away, behind the smiles and the starry eyes lay a darkness Lily couldn't place. Lines creased his face and while in the Headmasters office Lily caught a glimpse of a long, thin scar down his neck that disappeared into his shirt. As always, James Potter was a mystery.

"Take a good look at what could be yours," James said when he noticed her staring. His personality, Lily thought to herself, had definitely had not changed or was that yet another cover for what lay beneath. Scowling Lily pushed past him.

"I assume you're still in Gryffindor?" Lily asked in a superior tone.

James let out an indignant cry, "But of course! Gryffindor would be nothing without me."

"We did fine for two years," Lily let him know. He fell silent. "Well I guess you don't need me as guide, you did know the halls better than anyone else in the school. I'll leave you be then Potter." and with a slight mocking bow, Lily took her leave giving only a small smirk behind her.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

James Potter watched her leave with raised eyebrows. Did he have his work cut out for him? Once the footsteps died James slumped against the wall and found himself sitting on the cold marble floor.

"I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he whispered into the crisp parchment. Lily Evans, it seemed, was a fast walker when she didn't have a tail, having moved already three hallways away from him. He was impressed. She hadn't changed one bit. He just hoped that maybe he had changed enough that Lily would actually talk to him this time around.

Removing his eyes from the dot he searched for the three names that he knew he had to find. It took him a while but there they were, all three, where they would have been if James had never left. Grinning, James folded up the paper and wiped it clean with a simple '_mischief managed' _and was on his way. He had been waiting for this moment ever since he found out he was returning to Hogwarts. Strategies be damned, these were his best friends, if they would still have him.

It didn't take James long to remember the shortcuts him and his friends had found in the few years he was there. Behind this painting and through that door, he made his way through the castle quickly. It didn't take long, but it was enough time for James to think through all the horrible possibilities that could happen. They'd changed, they didn't forgive him, they'd forgotten him, they wouldn't accept him back or they wouldn't help him live the next two years at school safely. By the time he reached the door that separated him from them, that separated him from all the answers, he was convinced he had failed.

"You do realize we would get expelled if they found us brewing this?" he heard Remus Lupin whisper.

"Stop being such a prefect Moony, where is your sense of adventure?" Sirius Black replied in a louder voice, he obviously didn't care who heard him. How Sirius Black of him.

"Oh, I don't know, I think I left in somewhere between my sense and logic," Remus shot back. Sirius just let out a bark like laugh in response.

"What do we do next Wormtail?" Sirius called out from his place over the desk.

"After we add the toenails we let it sit for an hour. Thank goodness we don't need to stir it for an hour, remember when we made that emotional potion," Peter Pettigrew shuddered, "I thought my arms were going to fall off."

Remus and Sirius both laughed at this and soon Peter joined in. James grinned at the scene in front of him, they hadn't changed a bit.

"What happened to the look out?" James said jokingly, finally making himself known by taking a step into the room. All three turned away from the pot of blue liquid to stare in shock. Finally, after what must have been about ten long minutes, Sirius recovered. First confusion, then happiness, then the worst of all, exactly what James had been dreading, betrayal washed across Sirius Black's face.

"Decided to come back did you?" he spat at James. James took a step back and held up his hands in surrender, he knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"Hear me out okay," James pleaded. Sirius snorted and crossed his arms over his chest. Peter bit his lip, unsure whether to listen or not to his old best friend. Remus sighed and nodded at him,

"We'll listen, but you won't have our attention for long," he warned. James quickly went over his story in his head, knowing the next few minutes and every single word would be crucial.

"I'm sorry I left. I know that might not mean all that much now, and I know it's long overdue, and _I know _that I should have at least written," Sirius huffed in response, "but where I was there was no way of sending you anything, not only did they not let me but they took away any sort of communication I had with the outside world, even my mirror." By now even Sirius was listening.

"Where exactly were you then James?" Sirius asked pointedly. James noticed the lack of their nickname and chose to brush it aside.

"I was hiding. After the death eaters killed my dad, my mother knew it wasn't safe to be here, surrounded by the kids of suspected death eaters. I was pulled out of school and put into a camp to learn to fight. For two years that was all I did. I didn't know any of the other boys; we weren't allowed to talk to each other in fear of someone being a spy. For two years I was drilled to fight until they told me I needed to finish my education so people didn't figure out where I was or what I was doing," James took a deep breath and met the eyes of his old friends, "they were the worst years of my life." The room was silent.

"Death eaters?" Peter questioned after a while of silence. Remus and Sirius turned to look at Peter.

"You obviously haven't read the paper lately have you?" Sirius said sarcastically. Peter scratched his head and blushed,

"Well, not that part anyway. It's always so depressing."

Sirius rolled his eyes, "Wimp."

"Hey! Just because your family is safe from those headlines doesn't mean everyone's is." The room fell silent.

"I have no family to look out for anymore." And with that Sirius pushed past James and headed outside the room. James bit his lip and dared to meet Remus' eyes. With a deep breath, Remus gave James a small smile,

"Don't worry about him, he'll come around eventually." James grinned and looked up to see Peter smiling too. Two out of three wasn't bad.

"So what potion are we mixing?" James asked as he sat down next to his old friends, his real friends. And as Peter began to explain their plan James began to relax into his old life, trying to forget the past two years that plagued at his mind.

Sirius had come back after a few hours but promptly ignored anything James said and acted as if he wasn't even there. It hurt, but James knew what it was like to lose a family member and well, if Sirius had done the same to him, he wasn't sure whether he would have forgiven him straight away either. The fact that he came back meant there was a small possibility that they would be friends again. Maybe.

James could only hope.

"This is the last stir before we need to let it sit for six hours, stir, then let it sit for another six," Peter recited from the ancient potion book. James could only guess the restricted section in the library was now missing a potions book.

"So that would make 11pm and then 5am," Remus said. "I am not getting up at 5am." Sirius started to say he would do it when Remus cut across him, "There is no way you would wake up then, no matter how many alarm clocks we set." James and Peter snickered.

"I'll do it," James offered. Remus chuckled in response.

"You were just as bad as Sirius! There is no way we could trust you to wake up then!"

"My sleeping patterns have changed. Actually, I wake up rather early now. I bet I even beat you now Remus," James told his old friends while Remus only cocked an eyebrow.

"Fine, let him do it. If he stuffs it up he can make it all over again," Sirius said. James knew that with Sirius it would just take time. He had lost his trust and now he had to make it up to him and earn it back. James grinned but knew to keep his mouth shut. He would only be able to push it so far.

"Dinner anyone?" Peter said and off they went to the great hall like old times.

James couldn't remember a time when he felt so full. He hadn't eaten like this since, well, since two years ago. It was glorious. He didn't care if Remus and Peter laughed at how fast he ate his food, although getting a twitch of the lips from Sirius did make it a little more fun.

After dinner, the awkward silence fell and James realized just how much had missed. They didn't have things in common any more. He didn't know their relationships with the other houses well enough to joke around with them. He didn't know anything. Accepting his fate, James excused himself to bed and found his way up to the sixth year boys' dorm.

The door swung open and James knew exactly which bed was his, for it was the only one that was clean and tidy. Clothes (both clean and dirty), books, paper and potion bottles littered the floor. It was a maze just to get to his bed. Collapsing on the soft mattress James breathed a sigh of relief, he had made it.

He wasn't sure how long he sat there just staring at the ceiling but by the time the others came up he was still wide awake, yet another annoying habit he had picked up. Light flooded the dorm and James quickly closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.

"Pete, go check if he's asleep yet," the whispered voice of Sirius said from the door. He heard a bottle scrape across the floor, paper crumple and then he heard the breath above his face.

"Yep, he's a goner," Peter whispered. James almost breathed a sigh of relief but caught himself just in time, sleeping people don't sigh do they?

"Good, now, who actually believes his story?" Sirius asked the others.

"I don't know. It sounded quite genuine. I mean, remember him two years ago? He was our best friend, all the things we did, I don't think I could ever just throw that away." Remus said, the sadness ringing through his voice.

"James was always a good friend and although he left us, I think we need to forgive him, it's not like he is the bad guy here," Peter put in. James's heart swelled with gratitude, he didn't deserve such friends.

"His heartbreaking story seemed to work on you guys. I'm not so convinced, something didn't seem right," Sirius said. There was a shuffle of clothes, it seemed the boys were getting ready for bed. Good, thought James, he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold his eyes closed, not being able to see was starting to take a toll on him.

"Then why don't you talk to him tomorrow? Like you use to? I'm sure he'd talk to you about it," Peter's muffled voice came from the bathroom. Sirius sighed.

"Truth is I was just getting use to us three being the only three, to turn that around and just accept him again isn't going to happen like that. He is going to have to prove he isn't going to get up and leave again." It seemed Sirius's comment had ended the conversation.

For the next few minutes there was a lot of ruffling of sheets and hurried footsteps but after an hour, the soft snores and the heaving breathing took over. James opened his eyes and surveyed his friends. He knew how much he had hurt them by leaving without an explanation because it had hurt him too. It didn't mean they were going to get over it quickly. Deciding he wasn't sleepy, James slowly made his way out the door without making a sound.

The common room was lit only by the soft yellow glow of the fire that cast dancing shadows around the room. It was quiet. It was safe. But most of all, it was away from everyone. This was why James liked staying up late; the peace that fell upon him when he waited for the dark was too great to miss. Resting into one of the plush couches in front of the fire, James watched the flames play.

"Couldn't sleep either?" A sweet voice asked from above him making James jump in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," James calmed as soon as he saw the red locks and the green eyes. Lily.

"I just wasn't expecting anyone to be up," James said looking back to the fire.

"You should be getting to sleep, you're going to need it for tomorrow," James raised an eyebrow at this, "classes start tomorrow…" Lily said obviously.

"Ahh, yes, well I suppose you are right." James lifted himself from the comfortable position on the couch and began the climb to his bed. He almost didn't hear Lily's voice call out after him.

"Why'd you come back anyway?" Lily asked hurriedly. James turned and found her at the bottom of the boys' staircase. It took him a second to think of a response before a grin covered his face.

"Well, because of you of course," James said with a chuckle and didn't wait to see her reaction but instead turned to continue up the stairs. Lily was a smart girl, she wouldn't be easily fooled. And while Sirius was going to be a challenge, James knew it was going to be Lily he would need to convince.

**A/N Well hello readers! Please let me know what you think and leave a review! Feedback would be nice. I think the next chapter will explain a lot more. :) And thank you ScarlettSunshine, my beta, for editing this chapter!**

**Much love,**

**Lizzie.**


	3. You'll Never Beat The Best

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is to do with Harry Potter sorry. I'm just using it to fill my spare time :)**

**Chapter 3  
><strong>You'll Never Beat The Best 

_September 5th - Sixth Year_

Gently picking up her wand from her nightstand, Lily quietly crept towards the exit of their dorm. Although Lily knew from past experiences that they were all heavy sleepers, she didn't want to any take risks. Especially after the time she accidentally woke up Melissa by tripping and falling on her bed. Lily winced at the memory. It was safe to say that Lily never walked close to Mel's bed any more.

Once the door was closed Lily let out a sigh of a relief, the rest of the castle was easy territory. After all, being up at six in the morning was allowed. It was times like these that were Lily's favourites. Lily watched her breath form wisps of steam as she took in deep breaths of the cool air as she moved along, making no sounds whatsoever. The castle still being cold from the lack of sun, no one about, just you and the quiet. Peace.

Even though she was allowed to be out, Lily always crept along, checking around every corner. It wasn't until she was outside, in the biting wind, that she would relax. Closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, for the first time since she had arrived she truly felt at home. Lily watched her breath dance in the wind before beginning to run.

She ran laps of the lake until the sun was beginning to fully shine. The fresh smell of dew on the grass, the soft trickle of water by the water fall and the slight breeze that blew her hair back were some of the best parts about running at six in the morning. It was then she noticed she was not alone. Groaning, Lily tried to ignore the other runner by pretending not to see them. There was one time she had invited her friend Alice to come running and Lily swore she would never run with someone again. Some people just didn't realize that running was a calming and relaxing sport and talking ruined any good said sport would do.

The other runner was stopping. Good, thought Lily, leave me be. He walked over to the lake and then promptly started stripping. First his top then slowly he was taking off his shorts and Lily realized that he mustn't of seen her. Before she could stop herself she was yelling out for him to stop.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Someone might see something you don't want them to see," she yelled from the other side of the lake. The boy looked up slowly and grinned. Lily was taken aback, so he knew she was there?

"Well you can either join me or find somewhere else to run if you want," he told a very shocked Lily. The voice sounded familiar. Only one person would say something like that, thought Lily.

"James Potter, I was here before you, you can go find somewhere else to do you business," She told him.

Raising both hands in the air he declared "It's a free world!" and dove into the water and Lily saw his boxers come up seconds before his head followed. Disgusted, Lily ran inside. James Potter had changed and Lily decided it had been for the worse. They had been friends (sort of), they had talked (a little). He had been there for her, (not that she ever needed him). She _had known _him; you could have read him like a book. This James Potter, well, Lily didn't have a clue about him and that, Lily realized, was why she disliked him so much. Stomping back inside she made her way slowly back to the common room.

It was times like these, when James Potter did something strange and annoying that Lily had to question his motives. What did he gain out of that? Or, did he just not care? Lily reached a hand up to pull at the ends of her hair, how frustrated she had been the past few days.

"Lily?" a voice questioned softly. Lily spun around quickly, a bit too quickly as she almost lost her balance. Grabbing her heart Lily breathed a sigh of relief,

"Alice! You scared me!" she exclaimed when she realized it was only her friend. Alice lifted an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Want to get some breakfast with me?" she asked nodding towards the Great Hall.

"Oh Merlin, yes, I'm starving,"

"Good, so am I. I usually am in the mornings, funny that," Alice said while hooking her arm around Lily's and bouncing towards the Great Hall. Lily let out a laugh.

"How are you up so early and even making jokes oh Little One?" Lily asked, using her pet name for Alice, for she was the shortest in their little group. Lily, Melissa and Fiona were all tall for their age where as Alice was short, which meant that it was emphasized a lot more when she hung out with them and Lily never let her forget it.

"Shut up, Red."

"Red? Seven years and that's all you got?" Lily joked. Ever since Lily had given Alice the nickname, Alice had been trying to come up with one that Lily hated just as much. Seven years of trying and she had not yet succeeded.

"Just you wait Lily, it'll come one day, and when it does you will never call me little again,"

"Sure thing Little One," Alice just gave Lily a punch in response.

"Wait for the others?" Lily asked.

"They wouldn't wait for us…" Alice pointed out.

"True." With that Lily and Alice began to fill their plates with food and talking ceased. The soft chatter of the hall covered any conversation that Alice and Lily had. That and the fact that the food was steaming and such marvellous smells of fresh eggs, pastries and juice were much too distracting than two girls conversing about their next trick.

Lily grabbed what must have been her third muffin and was slowly demolishing it when Melissa and Mary sat down next to the two girls.

"This is why we prefer to come later, we miss you two eating like crazy animals that haven't eaten in days," Mary told her friends as she picked at a few things on the table.

"No we do not!" Alice and Lily both exclaimed.

Melissa chuckled, "Yeah, and saying that with your mouths full really helps the situation."

The four girls were now in fits of laughter. No one around them reacted; this was the normal morning routine. The four girls, it seemed, we're always loud and full of laughter to the point where it didn't surprise anyone when a sudden cry or burst of joy was heard from their place in the room.

"Now, I was thinking, wouldn't it be kind of funny if all the paintings in the whole castle stopped moving and talking?" Mary said with a sly grin.

"Oh Mar! What a hilarious idea, everyone will think they've gone crazy!" Alice said with a grin, "Let's do it!"

Lily, Alice, Mary and Melissa all put their heads in and began to form a plan. Everyone in the Great Hall knew what that meant and began to mentally prepare themselves for whatever the girls cooked up.

It was known throughout Hogwarts that Lily Evans, Mary McDonald, Melissa How and Alice Prewett, were the masters of pranks. These pranks however, never harmed anyone (Slytherins weren't thought of as just anyone) and were always witty and exciting. Sometimes the Marauders would join in on their pranks when they were extra extravagant or other times they would give the girls a run for their money. But it was safe to say they had an agreement, when it came to pranks they were friends.

'"Charm the paintings?"

"No, they wouldn't like that."

"What are you suggesting then? We tell each and every painting to stop moving for a day? Well if you want to volunteer."

"Of course not Mary, I'm not stupid you know."

"No, you're top of our class."

"Whatever, but all I'm saying is that charming them may be a bit disrespectful."' was how the conversation went. Mary always disagreed and Lily always stuck to her opinion. They were a conflicting bunch.

"Let's discuss this in History of Magic okay?" Alice said finally after looking at her watch.

"How long do we have?" asked Mel.

"Five minutes."

"Damn, no time for a restroom stop then," Mel sighed and sung her bag over her shoulder. "Let's get a move on then, wouldn't want to be late for ol' Binns now would we?" The group laughed and headed out of the now almost empty Great Hall. First to come, last to leave. Food was an important part of their days.

"I used to think that History of Magic must get better as we get older. I think I've finally realized that is so very far from the truth," Melissa said as she dragged her bag out of the classroom. "Is it time for lunch yet?" she questioned hopefully.

"Er, Mel, we still have potions to sit through," Alice said with a pat on the shoulder. Mel groaned.

"When will this year be over?"

The school gave you five minutes to walk to your classroom and some teachers gave you an extra five minutes because they were at the ends of the castle. Like Divination for example. Professor Sellway always was lenient when it came to being a few minutes late for walking up those stairs required a few stops to catch your breath. The potions classroom was another far away room whereas unlike Professor Sellway, Professor Slughorn did not tolerate being tardy. Unless, of course, you had red hair and your name was Lily Evans.

"So sorry we're late Professor, History of Magic went late and we ran all the way here because we didn't want to miss anything," Lily said as she breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath. Mel, Alice and Mary were all standing closely behind her hoping that they too, would be pardoned. Mary's nose crinkled at the strange oder that was omitting from the potions on the desk. The dungeons always had a damp smell about them but this was a whole new level of gross. That was, until Alice elbowed her in the stomach.

"Not to worry Miss Evans, I'll have a chat with Professor Binns later on about running into other important class time," Slughorn told her with a smile that was just for her. Lily grinned and took a seat.

"Now, as I was saying, we are making the…" Slughorn continued.

Pulling out her books and some spare parchment, Lily began to take notes on today's potion.

"Not too bad Evans, only problem is, you caught your breath way too quickly if you did, in fact, run from the classroom to the dungeons in less than 5 minutes." Lily's head whipped around to see the smirking face of one James Potter staring at her. Sending him a glare she looked back to the front. Lily had known James Potter was good, but not that good on little details like that.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_February 14th - Fourth Year_

_The great hall was completely full that morning and as flowers, kisses and hugs were given and exchanged Lily wanted to be sick. Valentine's Day sucked. Couldn't everyone go and be disgusting somewhere else?_

_"Yuck, I hate February 14th," Lily said as she squeezed into a seat next to Mary._

_"Tell me about it, I had to fend off so many people to save that seat for you,"_

_"Oh, thanks."_

_Lily began piling what little food was left onto her plate but just before she put it into her mouth everything turned pink. With a shriek, she dropped the offending food on her plate. Looking around the room she noticed that everyone's food had turned pink. Not only that, everyone's clothes had also turned pink. Laughter rang around the room but all Lily could think of was killing the person who did this. Just then she noticed James Potter leaving the Great Hall, of course, thought Lily, who else._

_"Save my seat," Lily said and ran off before Mary could complain. Once outside the doors Lily ran up to James and pulled on his robe for him to stop._

_"What?" he asked impatiently._

_"Did you do this?" Lily asked him while catching her breath. James rolled his eyes._

_"Would I have changed my robe pink too, you nitwit?" Lily looked down and realized that his robe was, just as he had said, pink._

_"Oh, um, sorry Potter," she said letting go of his robe. James chuckled and patted her on the head._

_"No worries Evans, we all make mistakes," and he went on his way. Shaking her head, she walked back to her seat in the great hall. Sliding into her seat she sighed and began to eat her pink eggs. Too many thoughts were clouding her mind to notice that everyone around her had gone silent._

_"What?" She asked after she noticed none of her friends were speaking but instead staring at her._

_"Um, do you realize your hair is…pink?" Mel asked tentatively. Lily's eyes widened as she pulled one of her locks into to vision. No. This could not be happening._

_"Okay Lily, calm down. It's no big deal, really." Alice said noticing Lily's face turning red._

_"JAMES POTTER!" Lily screamed. Somewhere in the castle, footsteps doubled their pace._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Lily smiled at the prank, yes it had been horrible but some amazing magic had been used. And yes, James had been very smart by charming himself also. Little details that Lily would always forget about. Lily's grin grew as she remembered her revenge on the said person. Fourth year had been a lot of fun. Then fifth year had come and after a week, Lily had realized he wasn't coming back, James Potter had gone and she couldn't help but be a little disappointed. As much as they fought, it was always playful. As much as they pranked each other, it was always funny. Hogwarts had gotten a lot duller once James left, not that she would ever tell that to his face. No, his ego did not need boosting.

With a sigh Lily went back to note taking. This James Potter was different anyway, and this one she wouldn't get attached too because you never know when he would get up and run.

"I love lunch." Alice said and Mel agreed as they packed their things and headed to the great hall. Mary waited for Lily to pack her things and they left shortly after. Just outside the classroom Lily's bag split and Lily told Mary to go on and save her a chicken sandwich. The hall slowly emptied as Lily picked up her things that had somehow gotten to the other side of the hall.

"Maybe try carrying some of your books instead of stuffing them all into your bag?" the voice she had begun to recognize from anywhere said from above her. Looking up, Lily's thoughts were confirmed as she was met with a pair of hazel eyes.

"Look, I don't have time to chat I just want to get to lunch, okay?" she told him firmly. The thoughts from potions were coming back and Lily was trying to push them away.

"Okay, I just came over to give you this and say I'll see you at seven." Giving her her ink bottle Lily looked at it strangely until she registered what he had said.

"Wait, why am I seeing you at seven?" she did not remember agreeing to this.

"Why, you're tutoring me remember?" James said with a grin.

That was tonight? thought Lily. Closing her eyes Lily took in a deep breath. Stay calm Lily, you can do this, she told herself. Stuffing the ink bottle in her bag, she bolted down the hall leaving behind only the sound of her shoes hitting the ground. James Potter or not, lunch was waiting, she would deal with it after eating.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

She hadn't changed at all, thought James. If possible she had gotten smarter and prettier in the past two years. Running a hand down his face, James started towards the Great Hall slowly. He had to think how he was going to go about this. Tonight would be interesting. Tonight he would see if she was willing to become friends with him. James didn't want to be friends with Lily. It would make everything a lot harder. He could feel the conflict already starting; this was a lot harder than he originally thought it would be. If only he could confide everything in his friends.

James wasn't hungry anymore. The peace of the castle seemed much more appealing than the hustle of the Great Hall. He chose instead to wander the empty halls and listen to his thoughts. No, his thoughts were dangerous. He didn't want to go back there, not to the past two years. Not to where they kept his mother. Grabbing the wall, James had to stop; he had to catch his breath. Sweat had started to form on his forehead and his palms were beginning to slip from the wall. They were just memories.

"But they feel so real," James whispered to no one. Taking a few deep breaths he began to walk until the sound of crying caught his attention. Walking quietly down the hall he listened out from which classroom it was coming from.

Three doors down he found the source, it was not who he expected. Slowly pushing the door open, so as not to be heard he took a look at who was hiding their tears. A black mop of hair was all that he could see from the corner of the room. There, hunched in the corner, was Sirius Black.

As if he had heard his name, Sirius's head shot up and he stared at James. Tears rolling down his face, he didn't even bother wiping them away. The two boys just stared at each other, until finally James walked over to Sirius and slid down the wall next to him.

"Who?" was all James could get out. He didn't really want to know.

"Uncle Alphard," Sirius croaked. His voice tired and strained, he had been here a while.

James nodded. Sirius wept. There the two boys sat. There was a bond that could never be broken between the two. While it could be hidden, it was going to be found one way or another.

"Shit, I have to go to tutoring," James said quietly while getting up.

"This doesn't change anything," Sirius said just before James could leave.

"I know." And James did. It was going to take more than that to win Sirius back. But it was a step in the right direction at least.

**A/N Thanks for reading! And my reviews, story alerts and favourites, it means a lot! And a special thanks to Scarlettsunshine, beta of this story, awesome writer!  
>Let me know what you think and leave a review! <strong>

**Lizzie. **


End file.
